A circuit board may be designed with multiple capacitors located in close proximity to each other. Or the circuit board may be designed to accommodate a capacitor having certain lead configurations, such as leads extending from each end of the capacitor or both leads extending from the same end of the capacitor. Accordingly, the circuit board will have through-holes therein or solder pads for surface-mount technology arranged to accommodate the capacitor(s) specified for the electrical circuit.
It may be desirable to replace multiple capacitors with a single capacitor or different capacitors, or to replace one capacitor with another capacitor that has a different lead configuration, size or shape. If a circuit board has already been manufactured with a specific capacitor or arrangement of multiple capacitors in mind, it is generally difficult to modify the circuit board to accommodate the replacement capacitor. Furthermore, prior to finalizing any decision to employ a replacement capacitor and perhaps redesign the circuit board, testing of the replacement capacitor in the electrical circuit of interest should be conducted. If the replacement capacitor does not correspond to the existing circuit board design, testing may be difficult, and in instances where the circuit is tested for physical integrity, such as high g-force applications, testing may not be possible.